The main trends in the dynamics of avifauna in urban areas of Karelia in the last 30 years have been analysed. Most changes in the composition of the urban bird fauna and populations are connected with the effects of the economic crisis (since 1991-1992). The overall deterioration of forage resources resulted in a decline of the populations of most specialised synanthropic species - the rock dove, house sparrow and jackdaw, which decreased 2-3 times. Urban populations of the hooded crow and great tit showed a 2-3-fold growth. As for seasonal visitors, the numbers of gulls (common, black-headed, herring and lesser black-headed) feeding in towns and cities has markedly increased. In the past decades urbanisation processes have become more intensive for a number of land and water birds of Karelia such as mallard, coot, hooded crow, magpie, raven, Eurasian jay, great tit, blue tit, fieldfare, pied wagtail, greenfinch, etc. As birds colonise urban areas, various aspects of their biology and behaviour change.
As a result, a relatively closed urban population forms or sedentary urban populations of certain species grow isolated (mallard, hooded crow, magpie, great tit, blue tit, greenfinch, etc.).